Americas

Americas

US man kidnapped in Nigeria freed: embassy

27 January 2012 18:53 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A US expatriate worker who was kidnapped by Nigerian gunmen in the oil-rich Niger Delta region on January 20 has been released, his embassy and police said Friday, APA reports quoting AFP.

"I can confirm that he’s been released, but I can’t provide any other details at the time," said Melissa Ford, spokeswoman at the US embassy in Nigeria.

Police in Delta state said the attackers had shot dead a policeman escorting the American, before snatching him from his car in the oil city of Warri.

The region’s police spokesman, Charles Muka, had said he believed the kidnappers had demanded 50 million naira ($310,000, 240,000 euros) in exchange for the hostage’s release.

Muka however told AFP on Friday that no ransom was paid.

"They knew that we were closing in on them," he said, when asked why the gunmen decided to release the American.

Scores of foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta for ransom, though a 2009 amnesty deal for oil militants led to a sharp decline in unrest there in recent months.

Sporadic incidents continue despite the amnesty.

Attacks have been blamed on criminal gangs seeking ransom or crude oil to sell on the black market as well as militants claiming to be fighting for a greater share of oil revenue for the local population.

The Niger Delta is deeply impoverished and badly polluted despite its oil reserves.